DWade

[Gato78]

So I am at a family wedding in Chicago this past weekend. I was inundated with DWade crap by the Bulls fans--as was Mrs. Gato. "He is a flopper" "DWade is a complainer" "DWade is a drama queen". It went on and on and on. Finally, Mrs. Gato got a little pissed off and started railing on Derrick Rose for having someone else take his ACT. I could not believe some of the crap I was hearing--about a home town guy. Bulls fans apparently are hurt that DWade spurned them when he was a FA and they won't let it go. DWade has complained about some calls but anyone watching the playoffs knows that the refs have let a lot go in the playoffs and D is not getting the calls he got in the past. In any event, the Bulls fans are not living in the real world with some of the anti-Dwade stuff.

BTW, I heard a lot of anti-Tiger stuff too. Revere Jordan but Tiger is an ahole? What's the difference?

[TheSultan]

It's like the Crean stuff on the Scoop board. Jilted lover syndrome.

[IrwinFletcher]

Sports talk in Chicago has really turned on him. Not just the flopping, but the constant whining and behaviour on the court. Also being part of the Heat dance party before the big 3 even played a game has tainted his image a bit here.

[Goose85]

Chicago fans in general are all that way. A real complaining fan group I have found, even when they win. Unfortunately in this years playoffs D-Wade has been doing a lot of complaining and whining to the refs so he is bringing some of that on himself.

Funny about anti-Tiger / love Jordan. Jordan was doing what Tiger was doing for many a year, and unlike Tiger, I don't think Jordan's escapades were as well kept a secret. Add in that Jordan was also gambling and 'decided' to take a 2 year NBA sabbatical from basketball to spend more time with his family traveling the minor league baseball circuit. If you don't like Tiger, then your feelings should be the same toward Jordan and you should just become a Tim Duncan fan.

[TheSultan]

Well, the whole Tiger v. Michael thing is probably all about perspective. Golfers aren't supposed to cheat on their gorgeous Swedish wives. And basketball players are supposed to cheat on their spouses after popping out a couple kids.

[ydouask23]

Where do I begin? First maybe with a shout out to Gato who I like and respect, (especially when we were both yelling at Jim Bur two years ago and he responded to us) but just disagree with on a lot of things here and others that have been said.
Some background here- 07 MU grad and avid White Sox fan. I live in Chicago and am a Bulls Season ticket holder. I married a Packers season ticket holder- as you can see between attending MU and going to Packers games, I do have some perspective on all this- take it or leave it.

1.DWade has become a flawed NBA superstar. We all have flaws, I get that. But guys like Kevin Durant, Tim Duncan, and Dirk Nov seem to keep their noses out of the headlines a little more than others. Wade complains on every call, moreso than almost any player in the NBA. He had a sloppy divorce. He was rumored to be performing sexual acts in front of his children with another woman. He played the Bulls and other teams in the offseason making them think he was interested. He wanted to get paid for the Olympics. He was a part of the self fulfilling Big 3 party. He isnt the player he was 5 years ago. We've all heard these things.
Ok. Some of that is probably a stretch. But where there is smoke there is fire. Its not all true, and its probably not all false. From my perspective, I love Wade for what he did for MU, but I would rather hang my hat on a more clean cut NBA guy like Novak, Wes, Jimmy, Lazar etc.

2. Milwaukee fans have an inferiority complex. Chicago fans are arrogant and pompus. I believe both can be true, but you cannot make blanket claims that cover everyone under one statement. Chicago fans are passionate and the media here exposes almost everything in the lives of our athletes. Therefore, we can turn on people quickly, or accept people for who they are as long as they are winning. Chicago fans can be ignorant. Most Cubs fans couldnt tell you what place their team is, or what the score was at the game they were at. Most Sox fans could tell you everything about their team, and yet still only 25K of us show up every night to watch a 1st place team. I dont get it. But what I really don't get is why Milwaukee fans really care? Its sort of like when my high school team plays Proviso East. We get really pumped up for the game becaues its "Proviso"-- the mystique of Doc Rivers, and Mike Finley, and Shannon Brown, but Im pretty sure Proviso doesnt care when we waltz into their gym. Thats how I would explain the inferiority complex of Milwaukee fans, and the arrogance of Chicago fans.

3. Jordan owned this city, and Im fine with that. While he was playing, he paid off enough of his inner circle, including many prominant members of the media to keep their mouths shut about gambing and womanizing. No one knew about it. No one. He could even drive on the shoulder if I-90 during rush hour and when the cops pulled him over they would let him go every time.
He was respectfull to the media. He was respectful to fans and the public. And they guy won like no one else will ever win again. He gave this city so many great memories and my childhood was partly defined by the Bulls winning at this time every year. It was a blast. I am willing to forgive what the guy has become- a womanizing, gambling, crooked, businessman who is running an NBA franchise into the ground.....
Sort of like, I am guessing, a lot of you are willing to forgive Wade for some of his personal and basketball shortcomings for what he did for our school, fair enough?

[IWB]

He was rumored to be performing sexual acts in front of his children with another woman.

The same woman that started those rumors also said he gave her an STD. Both were proven to be false and that type of lying/attacking is a part of what led to him winning the custody battle.

[Gato78]

ydouask23: I agree I have DWade colored glasses on at times. I agree that Wade can complain about calls at times. I agree that he has been demonstrative at times but really, there are a lot of NBA guys who complain about calls. What we have seen time and again this series is that the officials have been missing calls and have been pretty inconsistent--van Gundy has said so. I am telling you, the hatred in Chicago toward DWade was somewhat shocking. I have 7 brothers-in-law (one sister-in-law who is on the Mrs. Gato level of sports knowledge too) and numerous nephews who are sports addicts. Split among Sox and Cubs but passionate about their team. It was clear to me that they were listening to sports talk radio and that DWade was getting ripped locally. I was surprised--shocked really-at the level of hatred. I do not think it was warranted by any stretch.

BTW DWade was a 100% gentleman in his divorce never saying a bad word about his ex-wife in public. She lost custody of the kids because of her issues (which I understand were substantial). She lied about DWade giving her an STD and accused DWade of getting it on with Gabrielle Union in front of the boys also proven to be false. D's ex was so crazy she went through 3 different lawyers--this despite a really good pay day for the lawyers. No one will ever know why but it has to be pretty bad to turn down a $400/hr client with no payment issues. If the demonstrably false divorce stuff is circulating in the media, that is a problem because D acted very honorably throughout--kept his mouth shut and got the kids after a major batlle. The result speaks volumes about DWade's conduct.

[Goose85]

Ydouask - classic analysis of Cub and Sox fans and right on as far as all of the Cubs / Sox fans I know (I worked in Illinois 11 years).

[Gato78]

I was in the bleachers at a Cubs game maybe 15 years ago. Cubs pitcher had a no-no into the 9th inning. I alerted our group, no one was aware. Blew the no-no right after that. That would not happen at a Sox game.